[StBernard] Hired Guns

[Westley Annis]

I can't imagine what anyone was thinking in trying to contract for these
services.  A simple Google search will show a plethora of bad reviews about
this company.
 
Couple that with the fact that these guys are unaccountable to anyone and
it's bad news.
 
My understanding is that FEMA funds are not available for "routine things"
like law enforcement payrolls.  However, "landslide Jack" should be able to
obtain funds for payroll through the Meraux Foundation.  It was supposedly
created to help the parish and he was able to get money for defibrillators
before the storm  (since he's on the Board of that foundation) so why can't
a grant be done for the parish sheriff's department to bring enough deputies
back?  Yes, I know that if you bring back deputies on the payroll, you've
got to pay for health benefits, leave, retirement, etc. but isn't that a
better alternative than unaccountable "contra ct" cops?  If we can bring
back our deputies, they are "stake-holders" in the rebuilding process.
Dynacorp has no such vested interest in St. Bernard parish. 
 
RETHINK THIS PROCESS PLEASE!!
 

Jim
--------------
 


	Can anybody out there really answer the Question "Why can't the
furloughed
	officers be rehired, if they want to come back?" My reservations on
this
	course of action is of a slightly different take, though. I settled
into
	St Bernard after a long career in both the Military and Strategic
	Intelligence fields. During which I was brought in intimate contact
with all
	sorts of American, British and South African based International
Security
	and Executive Security (both very polite terms for another
descriptive
	name) firms including the two mentioned in the article. My personal
	experiences with them and the environments in which they operated;
was that
	they are very well suited and trained to operate in those areas but,
that
	fact in itself makes them inherently inappropriate for US Civilian
Law
	Enforcement purposes. The money would be better spent bringing back
people
	who lived here, want to live here, have a desire to make it better
and
	maybe, if needed, for training in close combat, security/weapons,
	intelligence and/or gang intervention. I have no illusions about
either the
	firms or their usefulness but St Bernard and its law enforcement
	requirements should not be their mission. Don't let them fool you.
The
	Corporate brochures and presentations are first rate. Let these
Beltway
	bandits continue to function in areas where they operate best.
Besides, my
	own contacts still in the field tell me that everyone in the ExecSec
field
	is salivating over the money these federal security contracts are
bringing 
	in. This is just My 2 cents since I'm retired and out of it. I do
really
	miss St Bernard, Lexington and my quiet little former place of now
lost
	memories so, lets not start down this road whatever the best
intentions.
	Bring back the people that want to be there and not the outside
contract
	guys who are in it for the paycheck. BTW, most are classified by
their
	companies as Independent Contractors, at least, they are when I had
them
	overseas. Why not just increase the pay scale and see if any would
join the
	force and move there families out of NC or wherever to Chalmette? 
	
	Gary